GF Sourdough Crostini with Almonds, Whipped Labneh, and Honey
Description
A lot of home cooks are intimidated by the prospect of making yogurt at home, and you absolutely shouldn’t be!
Once you realize how easy it is, take a bit of your beautiful homemade yogurt, and strain it in a bowl in some cheesecloth overnight in the fridge.
Allowing the Greek yogurt to discard the excess whey overnight through the cheesecloth results in a rich, beautifully-tangy, thickened spread which can be flavored with herbs and spices, sweetened for a cheesecake-style application, or simply whipped-up for use in this quick and easy recipe.
This strained, labneh-inspired style of spread has completely changed my perspective on making yogurt at home. Since my most recent labneh-inspired discovery, I always have some strained yogurt available in my fridge.
I’ve even been putting the unsweetened strained yogurt on sweet desserts as an ice-cream substitute—don’t knock it until you try it with something like our gluten-free apple pie for Thanksgiving, or really for any time of year!
Or maybe you are looking for a cream cheese alternative; a rich and creamy, guilt-free spread to serve on warm, gluten-free, lightly-toasted bread, with some cracked black pepper and cayenne pepper mixed in, topped with some finely-sliced smoked salmon, roughly-chopped capers, and perfectly-pickled red onions?
Strained homemade yogurt serves as the base ingredient here for the whipped labneh spread, and you can make it however you like—Perhaps I’ll make this alternative smoked salmon and capers crostini idea next week, and try to take some photos to share with our members!
I love gluten-free sourdough bread (when done right!), although with all gluten-free breads, I find they are freshest and best enjoyed the same day that they are made. Using any leftover bread for crispy crostini works wonderfully here.
I’ve gotten off-track. Let’s get back to the crostini with almonds and whipped labneh. They are perfect for serving casually at your next dinner part of family gathering, and you can adjust the toppings based on whatever nuts you have on hand. Swap out the concept and serve them topped with some roasted vegetables and a drizzle of olive oil.
And in case you are trying to make your own gluten-free sourdough bread at home, you can get access to our complete gluten-free sourdough bread baking kits here.
And I don’t know about you, but I’m somehow fairly hungry again.
Here is the recipe:
Ingredients
Instructions
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Strain the Greek yogurt overnight by placing the homemade, thick Greek yogurt in cheesecloth, suspended over a bowl, with the cheesecloth tied tightly around the edges of the bowl so that the yogurt sits suspended above the bottom of the bowl. This will allow the liquid whey to drain from the Greek yogurt that sits in the cheesecloth, without touching the yogurt as it drains. The objective here is to further-thicken your Greek yogurt, allowing the excess liquid to drain until it reaches the consistency of a much thicker spread.
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The following day, preheat the oven to 375˚F.
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When your oven is preheating, slice the leftover gluten-free sourdough bread or gluten-free French baguette into thin, crostini-style slices, ideally cutting the bread on a diagonal bias to encourage longer slices.
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Drizzle the slices with olive oil, and bake in the oven on a parchment-lined sheet tray for roughly eight minutes, turning halfway through, or until they are warm and barely crispy on the outsides.
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Remove the lightly-toasted crostini from the oven, and set them aside.
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Discard the liquid whey from the bowl containing the strained Greek yogurt.
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In a mixing bowl, use an electric mixer or rubber spatula to mix the strained Greek yogurt together with the teaspoon of honey, a pinch of Kosher salt, and a few grinds of freshly-cracked black pepper.
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Add the whipped yogurt spread to a piping bag, and pipe the whipped yogurt spread onto the crostini. You can also simply spread the yogurt onto the crostini, without the bag, if you prefer. It will taste exactly the same!
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Top the whipped yogurt spread on the lightly-toasted crostini with the toasted almonds, and add a drizzle of honey, along with perhaps a few additional grinds of freshly-cracked black pepper.
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Serve to the masses, and enjoy some for yourself!
